N.J. trucker heads to trial in Route 33 vehicular homicide

Thursday

Jun 28, 2012 at 12:01 AM

A New Jersey man is headed to trial in Monroe County Court in the vehicular homicide death of a Scranton man. Charged in the July 5, 2010, death of Paul Miller, 21, on Route 33 in Hamilton Township, Jaswinder Singh, 30, of Parlin, N.J., waived his right Tuesday to a preliminary hearing in district court in Snydersville.

ANDREW SCOTT

A New Jersey man is headed to trial in Monroe County Court in the vehicular homicide death of a Scranton man.

Charged in the July 5, 2010, death of Paul Miller, 21, on Route 33 in Hamilton Township, Jaswinder Singh, 30, of Parlin, N.J., waived his right Tuesday to a preliminary hearing in district court in Snydersville.

Singh, who is free on unsecured bail, will appear at a future date in county court, where he can go to trial, plead guilty or plead no contest.

The 7:55 a.m. crash happened in a work zone at mile-marker 20.7 on Route 33 North.

Singh's tractor-trailer had been heading south when it jackknifed, skidded across both southbound lanes and then across the grassy median into the northbound lanes, where he hit the 2002 Toyota Corolla driven by Miller. The two vehicles continued to skid off the right shoulder of the northbound lane and then up an embankment.

A third vehicle, a 1999 Dodge Ram van that had been northbound behind the Toyota, hit the trailer's center.

Singh said he had been heading south at 55 mph, going to Easton after making a delivery to the Best Buy in Stroud Township, according to police. He said his tractor-trailer veered off the road onto the shoulder and that he tried bringing it back onto the road, at which point it jackknifed and he lost control.

Singh said a cloud of dirt blocked his view as he entered the northbound lanes, according to police.

Singh is charged also with involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and several summary offenses.